New album info (as it rolls out...)

[southbay]

"Think About The Days" seems to be an adequate album opener, yes.

"Spring Vacation", I think, is pretty bad. The tune itself might be okay-ish, despite the dumb lyrics and general boringness of the melody, but the production sinks it. Sounds like a generic production of some soulless 90s summer dance group: flat, sterile, witlessly overproduced. Their voices sound unnatural. I will never get that kind of production decision.. the Boys still got fine enough voices, you could do all kinds of authentic and exciting stuff with them. "Spring Vacation" is utterly unexciting. Best case scenario: it grows to become a guilty pleasure song like "Kokomo" or "Smart Girls". (Actually, "Kokomo" is a far better song.)

Smart Girls?  Really, Smart Girls?!?

[Lowbacca]

My ratings so far (The ratings may see high but  I wasn't expecting Pet Sounds or Sunflower, the bar was very low)

Think About The Days - 9

Spring Vacation - 7

That's Why God Made the Radio - 8

Out of 10? What would be a 10..?

Smart Girls?  Really, Smart Girls?!?

"Guilty pleasure", that' what I said.  Or maybe exchange that for anything on "Summer in Paradise". Yeah, "Spring Vacation" could easily have been on "Summer in Paradise".

I'm still stoked (and optimistic) about the album, just for the record.

[drbeachboy]

"Think About The Days" seems to be an adequate album opener, yes.

"Spring Vacation", I think, is pretty bad. The tune itself might be okay-ish, despite the dumb lyrics and general boringness of the melody, but the production sinks it. Sounds like a generic production of some soulless 90s summer dance group: flat, sterile, witlessly overproduced. Their voices sound unnatural. I will never get that kind of production decision.. the Boys still got fine enough voices, you could do all kinds of authentic and exciting stuff with them. "Spring Vacation" is utterly unexciting. Best case scenario: it grows to become a guilty pleasure song like "Kokomo" or "Smart Girls". (Actually, "Kokomo" is a far better song.)

After playing it a number of times, the background vocals sound more natural than they do on TWGMTR. The chorus is very catchy. I've been singing it all afternoon. Love how Brian is into the organ lately. It's 3 for 3 for me.

[buddhahat]

Think about the days is great. That will be a beautiful intro to the album.

My god that autotuned hallelujah from Brian is hilarious. Christ I hope they're more sparing with it on the other tracks. SV is pretty bad but has a certain charm lacking in some of the weaker tracks from tlos (eg. Mexican girl). Please let it be one of the worse tracks though.

[Fro]

Think About the Days is pretty dang incredible.

Spring Vacation is fun... not as bad as I thought it's going to be.  The auto-tune doesn't bother me.

[Zach95]

Spring Vacation felt like a record I could play by the pool this summer with my friends and it would just fit right in. I felt that right away, especially during that solo.

So, to me, that makes the song great. I dig it, no where near as bad as I projected it would be.

[Lowbacca]

Think about the days is great. That will be a beautiful intro to the album.

My god that autotuned hallelujah from Brian is hilarious. Christ I hope they're more sparing with it on the other tracks. SV is pretty bad but has a certain charm lacking in some of the weaker tracks from tlos (eg. Mexican girl). Please let it be one of the worse tracks though.

I've enjoyed "Mexican Girl" since the 1st time I heard it - it's silly, but openly so. It's real catchy and has good overall production: it's clear and features a natural lead vocal by Brian and good, clear and full-frontal back-up vocals in the mix. I think it's a better song than "Spring Break", maybe not by a mile, but even so.

P.S. I must say I generally dug the production and sound on TLOS, and I was a bit disappointed when it became clear that the new BBs album wouldn't sound like TLOS.

[buddhahat]

I couldn't put my finger on what TATD reminded me of but it just clicked - Cry from Imagination!

So are the songs with a Joe Thomas co-write, ones that were written shortly after Imagination, and not newly written ones? TATD certainly doesn't sound like a new Brian song to me.

[Chris Brown]

I knew something had to be up when the page count on the thread jumped so much since yesterday...

Anyways, "Think About the Days" really knocked me out.  Amazing harmonies, the whole thing just sets the mood perfectly.  Even without lyrics, the melancholy feeling was fantastic.

"Spring Vacation" was pretty abysmal, but then again I wasn't expecting much.  As great as the vocals are (Brian and Mike both sound fantastic), it's just another retread of the lazy songwriting that has plagued the band's studio output over the last 30 years.  

All in all though, the three tracks we've heard have got me itching to get that CD in my hands even more than I was before.  All the Joe Thomas writing credits in the world can't scare me at this point!

[pixletwin]

I have to admit I am a bit disappointed that we aren't getting songs written by a post BWPS/TLS Brian Wilson.

[buddhahat]

Think about the days is great. That will be a beautiful intro to the album.

My god that autotuned hallelujah from Brian is hilarious. Christ I hope they're more sparing with it on the other tracks. SV is pretty bad but has a certain charm lacking in some of the weaker tracks from tlos (eg. Mexican girl). Please let it be one of the worse tracks though.

I've enjoyed "Mexican Girl" since the 1st time I heard it - it's silly, but openly so. It's real catchy and has good overall production: it's clear and features a natural lead vocal by Brian and good, clear and full-frontal back-up vocals in the mix. I think it's a better song than "Spring Break", maybe not by a mile, but even so.

P.S. I must say I generally dug the production and sound on TLOS, and I was a bit disappointed when it became clear that the new BBs album wouldn't sound like TLOS.

I also liked the overall production of TLOS and loved about half the songs. Some, such as Mexican Girl, I just found melodically a bit flat.

[Cabinessenceking]

My view.

Think About the Days - 8 (a very pleasant short wordless hymn. I expect it will be one of the better tracks after hearing it followed by the horrific 'Spring Vacation')

Spring Vacation - 3
(dreadful, pointless, bad production, bad lyrics with disgusting references to old classics - just worse than 'Brian's Back' because unlike that song this one isn't catchy, it isn't deep, there is no redeeming vocal part by Carl. I almost vomited when I heard this because I was expecting another TWGMTR.  My bad I guess. Also the title reminds me of a very bad shark film which shares the title. It starts promising then dies horribly.)

That's Why God Made The Radio - 8
(this is a very good song. It is not cheesy enough to call it a cheese slice and although the production is NOT very Brian Wilson nor PS or Sunflower in any regards it is well done.)

[drbeachboy]

Think about the days is great. That will be a beautiful intro to the album.

My god that autotuned hallelujah from Brian is hilarious. Christ I hope they're more sparing with it on the other tracks. SV is pretty bad but has a certain charm lacking in some of the weaker tracks from tlos (eg. Mexican girl). Please let it be one of the worse tracks though.

I've enjoyed "Mexican Girl" since the 1st time I heard it - it's silly, but openly so. It's real catchy and has good overall production: it's clear and features a natural lead vocal by Brian and good, clear and full-frontal back-up vocals in the mix. I think it's a better song than "Spring Break", maybe not by a mile, but even so.

P.S. I must say I generally dug the production and sound on TLOS, and I was a bit disappointed when it became clear that the new BBs album wouldn't sound like TLOS.

I also liked the overall production of TLOS and loved about half the songs. Some, such as Mexican Girl, I just found melodically a bit flat.

Love the ending of Mexican Girl, very Pet Sounds (the track).

[drbeachboy]

My view.

Think About the Days - 6 (a very pleasant short wordless hymn. I expect it will be one of the better tracks after hearing it followed by the horrific 'Spring Vacation'

Spring Vacation - 3
(dreadful, pointless, bad production, bad lyrics with disgusting references to old classics - just worse than 'Brian's Back' because unlike that song this one isn't catchy, it isn't deep, there is no redeeming vocal part by Carl. I almost vomited when I heard this because I was expecting another TWGMTR. Also the title reminds me of a very bad shark film which shares the title. My bad I guess.) 

That's Why God Made The Radio - 8
(this is a very good song. It is not cheesy enough to call it a cheese slice and although the production is NOT very Brian Wilson nor PS or Sunflower in any regards it is well done.)

I don't get you on Spring Vacation. We spend the last 6 months or more discussing the reunion, yet the main players of that reunion can't sing about it? Maybe because I am older that kind of song is more appealing to me.

[Wirestone]

So are the songs with a Joe Thomas co-write, ones that were written shortly after Imagination, and not newly written ones? TATD certainly doesn't sound like a new Brian song to me.

I believe that it is, actually. Do some reading over at the Record Room -- there's an interview with Brian there. Joe and Brian were writing and recording throughout last year.

I have to admit I am a bit disappointed that we aren't getting songs written by a post BWPS/TLS Brian Wilson.

We are. We're getting at least three, and possibly more.

People are very quick to jump to conclusions. Yes, some of the material comes from Brian's work with Joe back in 98. But not all. There are newly written songs.

What's more, there's no reason to think that many of these songs aren't newly completed or revised. Ask yourself why they didn't appear on anything Brian has done over the last 14 years -- could it have been because they were just fragments or bits of demos?

[Aegir]

I have to admit I am a bit disappointed that we aren't getting songs written by a post BWPS/TLS Brian Wilson.

I think "Shelter" and "The Private Life of Bill and Sue" are more recent.

[I. Spaceman]

What's more, there's no reason to think that many of these songs aren't newly completed or revised. Ask yourself why they didn't appear on anything Brian has done over the last 14 years -- could it have been because they were just fragments or bits of demos?

It could likely have been because of Joe Thomas's exile from the BW scene and the fact that the songs could not have been used until this point.

[pixletwin]

Thanks Aegir and Wirestone. That's good to know.

[pets0unds]

Chorus to Summer Vacation sounds like the verse of Elton John - Tiny Dancer.

[mammy blue]

The first song is OK, but I really don't like the production on these tracks at all. It's just way too slick... like we're hearing from cartoon versions of the Beach Boys rather than the real people. I'll certainly buy the album and give it a fair listen, but this sounds to me like it will date the same way Beach Boys 85 did.

[Wirestone]

What's more, there's no reason to think that many of these songs aren't newly completed or revised. Ask yourself why they didn't appear on anything Brian has done over the last 14 years -- could it have been because they were just fragments or bits of demos?

It could likely have been because of Joe Thomas's exile from the BW scene and the fact that the songs could not have been used until this point.

I'm not sure it works that way, actually. Gettin' in Over My Head featured "How Could We Still Be Dancin," which was a post-Imagination co-write by Brian and Joe. And the version of the title track on that record is a Joe Thomas co-production featuring his studio musicians.

In other words, BriMel seems to have had access to both Joe and Brian's unreleased compositions and unreleased studio work. Doesn't sound -- to me -- like a situation in which Joe was holding anything hostage.

I suspect a likelier scenario is that the group was looking for someone to coordinate the reunion tour and associated products, and that Joe (whose main expertise these days is staging concerts for TV) came up as a good candidate to direct the special / DVD. And then that led to new studio work between Joe and Brian, and then a new BBs album. Just my guess.

[SurfRiderHawaii]

Think About the Days is pretty dang incredible.

Spring Vacation is fun... not as bad as I thought it's going to be.  The auto-tune doesn't bother me.

Agree! I enjoyed "Spring Vacation", ignored the lyrics.  If that's the worst, we are in for a pretty good album.

[FatherOfTheMan Sr101]

Think About the Days is pretty dang incredible.

Spring Vacation is fun... not as bad as I thought it's going to be.  The auto-tune doesn't bother me.

Agree! I enjoyed "Spring Vacation", ignored the lyrics.  If that's the worst, we are in for a pretty good album.

Same mindset here, we have 2 really really good tracks and one okay track, majority rules.

[southbay]

The first song is OK, but I really don't like the production on these tracks at all. It's just way too slick... like we're hearing from cartoon versions of the Beach Boys rather than the real people. I'll certainly buy the album and give it a fair listen, but this sounds to me like it will date the same way Beach Boys 85 did.

Well, really, what was expected?  The guys singing around a campfire recorded on an 8-track? Some people really set themselves up for disapointment, I guess.

[Wirestone]

The first song is OK, but I really don't like the production on these tracks at all. It's just way too slick... like we're hearing from cartoon versions of the Beach Boys rather than the real people. I'll certainly buy the album and give it a fair listen, but this sounds to me like it will date the same way Beach Boys 85 did.

Well, really, what was expected?  The guys singing around a campfire recorded on an 8-track? Some people really set themselves up for disapointment, I guess.

Thank you. There is no way you're going to get an album produced by a 23-year-old Brian Wilson. We already have one of those anyway. You're going to get an album with a co-writer and a co-producer, and with autotune and slick production. And you know what? It's all right.